Category: Tech

The number of people with cellphones is almost uncountable. We live with mobile communication all around us now. And if you own a business, you need to find yourself a business SMS solution if you are to benefit from all of this. So how can you benefit from this process the most?

Use an SMS Webform that Customers Can Opt In to

If you want to grow your customers, but you don’t want to spam them, then an opt in form is a necessity. This means that people give you their consent to be contacted first. By providing an opt in form, you build trust among your customers, and it is far more likely that they will read your message.

Tell Customers How Often You Will SMS Them

If you tell your customers from the word go how often you will message them, they will feel more respected, which in turn builds brand trust and loyalty. If you message your customers too often, they are likely to block your number. But be honest and upfront, and stick to your promises, and they are likely to remain engaged.

Promote with Media Links

The great thing about cellphones is that they are linked to the internet. Hence, you can add links to videos, images, promotions, and so on to your SMS messages, and make sure your customers remain interested in what you are doing.

Provide an Opt Out Option

Make sure that your customers always know exactly how they can opt out of the SMS messages at a later stage. You can add this to each message you sent, but since you are limited in characters, it is better to make this very clear on your web form.

Make Sure You Are Effective with Your Time

Do not send text messages first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night because you most likely will be wasting your time. If you have customers from all over the country, you may have to create groups based on their time zones so that they receive messages at the appropriate time. Also make sure that you do not promote items that won’t be available for another month. Teasers are good, but not that long in advance.

Provide Mobile Coupons in Your Physical Store

Make sure that you have mobile coupons available on your premises to attract more people to sign up for the service. Offer them a first order discount for signing up, for instance, and make sure the coupon has a QR code on it to make it easy for people to leave their details.

Make the Messages Personalized

Even though you will be sending the same message to lots of people, you should personalize it as much as possible. Your opt in form should have, for instance, included your customers first and last name. Using that as a macro in your SMS message, so that each individual receives a message that is actually addressed to them, can make a huge difference in terms of how positively the message is received.

There’s no denying that modern gadgets can make a huge range of activities much more fun. And, golf is no exception – the game may be quite old-fashioned and has been around for years, however, it’s not been left untouched by the digital era. If you are an avid golfer, then you’re missing out if you’re not using these amazing golfing gadgets.

Golf GPS:

A device such as the Sureshot Golf GPS can revolutionise the way in which you play golf. These devices are designed to make playing golf the best experience ever, using innovative modern technology to provide users with a full database of Australian and overseas golf courses. Helpful software will enable you to pick up the latest target, and you can use handy features such as an aerial view of every hole on your course to have the best game ever.

Glowing Golf Balls:

Are you tired of having to turn in early because it’s going dark? Put an end to cutting of your golf round with glowing golf balls, that are available to purchase online. This clever innovation is simple yet effective – glow-in-the-dark golf balls makes it easier to find your way around when the night starts drawing in, as finding standard golf balls could be difficult even on a lit course.

Smartwatch:

Smartwatches have rapidly grown in popularity since they were introduced just a few years ago, and they are available from big name companies such as Apple and Samsung along with cheaper models that also work well. If you are an avid golfer, then you are probably tired of your game being interrupted by your smartphone. Instead, a smart watch means that you can check messages and emails, use a variety of apps, and even answer and make calls easily without having to stop and get your smartphone out. You can even get a specially designed golfing smartwatch with GPS.

Improve Your Shot:

If you love golf and want to improve your shot enough to maybe play professionally one day, then look no further than the OptiShot gadget. This handy mobile device is designed to do what a professional golf coach would, but at a fraction of the cost!

Junior Golf Cart:

If playing golf for you is a family affair with your little one or grandchild in tow, then why not get a junior golf cart? That way, when you’re playing a round of golf, you can be assured that the little one is having fun. When choosing a junior golf cart, make sure that safety is the most important feature so that you can have peace of mind.

Video Camera:

Last but not least, a video camera, or even the camera on your smartphone, can come in handy when playing golf, especially if you are hoping to improve your golf swing. Recording yourself playing golf can be handy if you’re hoping to get better as when you look back it will be easier to see exactly what you need to work on to make sure that you’re getting better sport results on the golf course.

Do you use any golf gadgets when you play? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Depending on the part of the world you live, there is an endless amount of broadband providers these days. So lack of choice is not exactly the problem. But it can be a little uncomfortable for some to select among the many available providers. But it need not be. The question then arises, which one is right for you?

Before you make the choice, it is better to take some factors into consideration. You might be a parent with a millennial son or daughter. Most Millennial think the world would be super boring without online communication. As such it is not unusual to see them constantly browsing the web. If you are such parent with a millennial child, you might like to consider broadband for families for you almost certainly fall into the category of heavy broadband users. You may like to consider fast broadband with unlimited downloads. Compare these two UK providers, for instance, Talk Talk and Vodafone. A 17MB unlimited downloads from TalkTalk, will let you pay twenty pounds a month for twelve months, while a 76MB unlimited downloads from Vodafone will let you pay thirty one pounds per month for eighteen months. These are not the only ones to choose from. Other reputable providers such as BT, Virgin, Plusnet, NowTV offer competitive prices for their unlimited broadband use.

There are no right or wrong ways to choose these providers of modern technology. The prices and MB may vary, but what you will be sure of is that you will be having value for your money. It must also be noted that millennial are not the only heavy users of broadband. You maybe someone who watch movies a lot and prefers to do so via online channels such Amazon Prime videos, Netflix etc, or you may just be spending a lot of time watching videos on Vimeo, playing online games etc. If you belong to this category of heavy user, you may require an even faster downloads. There are good options for you too. You may consider BT Fibre Unlimited Broadband (52MB) and calls with a twelve months contract for which you have to pay thirty £34.99 or Vodafone Unlimited Fibre (76MB) and pay £31 per month for eighteen months.

The difference between BT’s and Vodafone’s offers is that BT comes with free phone calls. But this is compensated by the higher Vodafone MB. Virgin Media Player Bundle with Unlimited Downloads of 50MB, Virgin Media Vivid 100MB which comes with phone. Plusnet, Sky and Talk Talk also offer similar deals.

The ten major UK providers, most already mentioned, also provide for business specific needs. These are suitable for business owners and enterprises. While the MB is similar to the ones appropriate for other heavy users, there are additional features which are more business industry appropriate. But what exactly is business appropriate broadband?

With business broadband, the service providers include Fixed-IPs, webspace and email addresses which include the name of the business. There is also enhanced security to ensure the business information is protected from potential intruders. Furthermore, because there might be financial impact in case the service goes down, the business customer is likely to receive better customer support.

It may also be worth to take into consideration that not all the times broadband is accessed at a fixed location. There are moments when you may be required to work at a remote location without a wifi, but need access to internet. If you are one of the types who prefer to access the internet when you are out and about, you may likely want to do so via a laptop or some form of tablet. This does not only apply to business people, but for anyone who finds himself in such a situation. The answer to this in the dongle.

The dongle can be inserted into the USB port of the tablet or laptop. This will let you access a broadband service. The service is provided by mobile phone service providers. Some of the major Broadband providers are also mobile phone service providers. But there are many others that only provide mobile service. In the case of mobile phone, however,you do not need a dongle to access broadband service.

Idea management software is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. This is because they allow businesses to be systematic about how they innovate. Today, almost everything is in the cloud, and this means that businesses also have the opportunity to look further afield for their idea management tools, being able to find something that meets not just their particular needs, but also their budget.

What Is Idea Management Software?

Idea management software is best described as a turn key system, which is often provided on the cloud. Its goal is to make sure that you easily and quickly create a process of innovation that helps to improve your organizations. To do this, all these software packages usually have a number of key features, which includes:

The ability to create a web portal under your brand, where you can manage ideas through.

The ability to determine who can have access to which parts of the portal. Certain areas may be public, for instance, whereas others may be restricted.

Enabling people to submit ideas into the system.

Ensuring different ideas can get grouped into relevant categories.

Allowing people to view, comment, and vote on submitted ideas.

Enabling participants to work together, so that they can improve submitted ideas.

Finding out which ideas are the most popular.

Evaluating the various ideas using predetermined criteria that are relevant to you.

Selecting ideas that may need testing, or even implementing.

The ability to ensure users know what has happened to their idea.

The ability to provide rewards to various participants, which usually is some sort of virtual reward.

Who Uses Idea Management Software?

The amount of organizations that use this type of software is almost countless. However, two of the most famous are Dell IdeaStorm, by Dell, and My Starbucks Ideas, by Starbucks. Both of these platforms are targeted specifically at consumers. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. For instance, other businesses use portals and platforms to speak to employees within their organization, to increase B2B customer involvement, to speak with suppliers and other stakeholders, and so on. Either way, the software is there to create a systematic way to innovate within an organization, making the chance of the ideas becoming successful much larger as well.

Because idea management and innovation is now so popular, there are countless organizations that have created software tools. You do, therefore, have to make sure that you properly compare the market in order to make sure that you find one that fits your specific needs. As such, your very first innovative project should be one that determines what the needs of your organization actually are: what do you want to innovate, where do you want to innovate, why do you want to innovate, how do you want to innovate, and when do you want to innovate? Another important question is just how much you are happy to pay for the system as well, although the most important thing is that you get good value for money.

If your iPhone is damaged, it is useful. Because it is such an intricate device, you simply can’t use it properly anymore, even if there is just a bit of damage to the screen. You must, therefore, find the best iPhone repair Tampa Fl has to offer. What you will find, however, is that it can be quite hard to find this, as well as expensive. Naturally, you could choose to repair your phone yourself.

Professional Repairs

If you choose to have a professional repair your iPhone, make sure it is someone with a solid reputation. You do not have to send your phone to Apple, however, unless you really want to pay a very high bill. Rather, you should look for a professional phone repair shop, where issues such as broken screens can quickly be repaired.

There are numerous solutions offered to you when going to a professional repair shop. You do, however, have to make sure they have a professional attitude and a lot of experience. Check, for starters, that they offer Apple repairs. These products are very different from any other device, so you need to make sure they know what they are doing.

Then, you have to consider price. You went to a local shop because you wanted to save money. While inexpensive is good, cheap should be avoided. You do get what you pay for, so if you find a company that charger much less than any other store, it is likely that their service will be equally cheap.

Do also look into the store’s reputation. Speak to people within the community about the store, check the internet, and go to social media. If a store is doing a good job, it shouldn’t be difficult to find out about it.

DIY Repairs

The other option is to repair the phone yourself. The problem with DIY projects is that you could end up damaging your phone even more. Hence, you must be very careful if you want to attempt this. Make sure you have a video guide beside you that you have watched several times before you touch your iPhone. If you aren’t 100% convinced that you can do it, then don’t. The damage you do by doing it wrong can be so hard to fix that it would be cheaper to just buy a new phone.

Naturally, the best thing is to not damage your iPhone in the first place. You need to put it in a cover and have a screen protector in place so that you don’t have to pay for repairs. If you do this, you won’t have to worry about damaging your device either. Prevention is always better than cure, after all. Unfortunately, no matter how careful you are, accidents do happen. If one happens to you, luckily there are iPhone repair shops in Tampa, FL that you can turn to in order to have the issue resolved and your phone returned to you as good as new.

With the vast amount of internet plans available on the market today, it’s no wonder that you may feel like your head is exploding. With each internet provider such as Frontier Communications, you’ll find several different internet plan options as well as internet bundles, making it so that you have a lot to think about. With this said, how do you go about choosing the right one for you? First off, we’ll need to take a look at what an internet plan really is, what your general options are and what added options you can include in conjunction with your chosen plan. Once you’ve gone through all the information below, you should find yourself having a much easier time figuring out which of the internet plans available is the right one for you.

What is an internet plan

Essentially, an internet plan is a plan where you’ll find yourself privy to internet access for a certain dollar amount each month. You’ll also find that most internet plans are based on a subscription status, generally 6 months to a year, though you can sometimes have the option to subscribe to a 2 year service.

What are the different types of internet plans available on the market today

Although all are considered internet plans, they do vary widely from one to the next. This is because of the differences that each plan offers, along with the cost differences and speed at which you’ll be able to surf the internet. The main differences that you’ll find when searching for a new internet plan is the:

Cost- Costs vary widely not only from internet service provider to provider but also between each of the different internet plans within the same company. These costs generally range due to subscription service length, internet speed chosen and the data plan chosen.

Speed- Internet speeds do vary, but you do get to choose a speed that is closest to what you’re looking for. Generally speaking, if you need to access information extremely quickly, you’ll want to go with a faster internet speed plan.

Data plan- Some companies offer different data plans at different monthly rates. These data plans differ depending on how much you plan to upload and download.

How to choose the best internet plan for you

Depending on what you plan on using the internet for, you’ll find that not all plans work in your favor. If you plan on using the internet for your home office, most likely you’ll want to go with a plan that offers high speed access and a large data plan. If you just plan to use the internet every now and then, you’ll want to stick with a small data plan. If you use streaming services on a regular basis, then a plan offering a high speed connection is certainly the best option for you. Some plans also come with a discounted option of adding in a TV subscription or phone line, so you’ll want to take those into consideration as well.

Hopefully, with the information provided above, you now have a clearer understanding of what direction you’d like to head in. Just remember, internet plans do vary a lot both in what they provide, how fast the service is and how much they cost on a monthly basis. This means that it’s best not to rush into one plan over the other and to instead take the time to dissect each plan. That way you’re much more likely to be happy with your plan in the long run.

If you are a new to the vlogging scene, there’s so much to look forward to. Sharing your passion with the world is such an exciting endeavour, you never know where it will take you to next.

Being a beauty vlogger is one of those activities that require adequate preparation and if video editing is not your thing, don’t worry, there are many user-friendly apps that make it easy. Still unsure of how to go about your YouTube videos? Here are some inspirational beauty vloggers to benchmark your videos on.

Estee Lalonde

The UK-based Estee is one of the internet’s beloved vloggers in the beauty scene. She’s best known for her friendly, girl-next-door online personality. She has a great resource for beauty reviews, and covers everything from dieting to interior design. You can pick a thing or two from Lalonde’s style diversity.

Michelle Phan

Michelle began beauty vlogging in 2007, and has since gained millions of followers for her YouTube channel. Her videos are enhanced with colourful costumes and themes which give them a lovely look. Learn Michelle’s colour style and adapt them to your videos for effect.

Nitraa B

Nitraa B’s videos stand out for their perfect combination of fun and information. She coined the term “purple glitter smokey eye” and it’s a hit among many millennials. Come up with your own distinctive names for makeup style and people with associate them with you.

Samantha and Nic Chapman/Pixiwoo

These sisters are the talent behind Pixiwoo. Their specialty is recreating celebrity makeup looks. So, if you liked how Katy Perry looked at the last VMA awards, chances are Sam and Nic can show you how to recreate it. You don’t have to copy exactly, but you can borrow a page from their creativity and incorporate into your style. Their basics videos are great for newbies.

Lisa Eldridge

This London-based makeup artiste has a celebrity client list as long as my arm. With the likes of Kate Winslet, Keira Knightly and Emma Watson in her portfolio, her vlogs are a go-to for professional makeup. She is also the creative director for British cosmetics brand No.7. Her makeup tutorials embody professionalism and elegance. Look up her “Ultimate Guide to Red Lips” video.

Kandee Johnson

Kandee has such as big personality and throws it into her tutorials. People love to learn with fun and Kandee doesn’t disappoint. You don’t have to be a comedian, make your video interactive and viewers will be endeared. One of my favourite Kandee videos is “How to Do Pin-Up Girl Make-Up.”

Felicia Walker Benson

Felicia does a lot in the beauty tutorial scene for people of colour, and her products are a favourite any day. If you plan to launch your product line someday, Felicia is a great resource for inspiration.

Close to 19% of all websites on the internet use WordPress software to organize their internal system functions. It’s not hard to see why, as the back end of WordPress sites are extremely user-friendly, making them the top choice of many webmasters.

However, the commonality of this platform makes them a very attractive target for hackers and cybercriminals. What are the best ways to keep your WordPress site safe? This post will give you several ideas to keep your presence on the web free of unwelcome visitors.

1) Download a comprehensive security plugin

One of the easiest ways to keep your site clear of viruses and malware is to download a security plugin to your WordPress back end. Of all the options available on the market, SiteLock is one of the best overall programs.

Despite what you may have heard about the supposed SiteLock scam (which is a myth based on unbalanced negative reviews), SiteLock is a security program that has a lot to offer your website.

It scans all the pages on your website on a regular basis, downloads malware definitions as soon as they are discovered in the wild, and displays a trust label that lets visitors know that your site is protected against the worst the web has to offer.

2) Always update to the latest version of WordPress

As annoying as it is to log into your website to update it to the latest version of WordPress, this simple action will keep you safe from security weaknesses that are uncovered periodically in this popular web platform’s code.

Many of the minor updates to WordPress contain patches that close loopholes that a hacker could use to break into your site, so don’t be lazy about it: Take two minutes to go into your back end and click the update button when a new version is ready to be downloaded.

3) Keep all plugins and themes up to date

While you’re at it, be sure to update all plugins and themes while you are in the update tab of your WordPress back end. Clicking a few buttons is all it takes to update your plugins and themes, as every one that has an update available will have a check box to their left.

Above all the plugins and themes, there will be a box that will select every one in the list when checked. Click it, scroll to the bottom, and hit the update button.

In mere seconds, your site will be protected from exploits that take advantage of poorly coded plugins, so don’t neglect your updates tab when it tells you that new downloads are available.

4) Change your administrator name from ‘admin’

You would be shocked at how many people give away half their login simply by not changing the default administrator user name from ‘admin’ to anything else.

The first user name that hackers try is ‘admin’, as most people are too lazy to shift away from this default user name.

Don’t make a cyber criminal’s job easy: rename your administrator user name to something that is not easily guessable, and you will make it that much tougher for them to compromise your web properties.

When you have commercial and/or residential projects under construction, you know that you invariably are up against deadlines.

That being the case, it is important that you make sure all your products, services, not to mention your employees both in and out of the field, are ready to go.

Whether you are working on a major outdoor commercial project or a sizable indoor residential project, you don’t get paid to miss deadlines.

Yes, weather and other circumstances can (and oftentimes do) come into play, but you find a means to get around them, allowing you to complete your work on time, making for happy customers when all is said and done.

If meeting deadlines is something you have found to be a bit of a challenge over time, work on completing those deadlines sooner rather than later.

Products and Services Must Be Ready

One of the ways to all but guarantee your projects will make their deadlines is by reviewing the products and services you use for each and every project you are tasked with on a regular basis, checking for any hiccups along the way.

For example, if you use and/or sell plastic injection molding nozzles, review them regularly to be sure they are up to snuff with whatever projects you are using them for.

One of the ways to go about this is by reviewing the different companies offering such nozzles, valves, other injection products etc.

Some of the items to look at include:

Company history – Where you buy products and services from goes a long way in whether or not you meet your customer expectations. Is your vendor good at meeting deadlines when it comes to supplying you with your needs? If they have a track record of meeting those deadlines, all inclinations are you should stick with them. On the other hand, those having a so-so record of meeting timetables need to be brought back under reconsideration. The last thing you need and want is having your customers upset with you because you failed a deadline, failure that originated in not getting the desired parts in time;

Timing of your projects – If you’re doing any outdoor construction and/or renovations, the time of the year certainly can play a factor. For example, having a construction or renovation business in Buffalo does limit you during the wintertime in terms of how much outdoor work you can typically fit in. The best road to take here is making sure you schedule as much work as possible before winter typically sets in. In some cases, you will catch some breaks and have decent wintertime weather, though you should not count on it as a given. Also make sure any parts you are using (especially in outdoor instances) like nozzles, valves etc. can hold up to biting cold weather conditions. If you have parts that will not service you and your customers in dire winter weather, it becomes both a financial expense and ultimately a PR one for your business. The bottom line is you don’t want to waste the time of customers nor that of your employees;

Being honest with customers – One other important area that you should never overlook is being up front with your customers. For instance, if your project is running behind (for whatever reason), don’t try and paint a rosy picture with the respective customer or customers. Always level with customers as to the projected timeline of completing the project, along with any snafus that currently are happening etc. One of the ways to keep customers for years to come (along of course with good work) is making sure you are honest with them at all times.

Keeping your projects (commercial and residential) on schedule doesn’t have to be difficult, especially when you work with vendors supplying you with the best parts possible.

In the end, meeting customer deadlines should always be a priority, not an option.

As 2016 winds down to a close, review how you’ve done this year to date with meeting those deadlines.

If you have fallen short in some instances, look to see how you can improve that moving forward in the New Year.

The smartphone market is packed full of accessories, from cases covered in diamantes, to fans that plug into your phone so that you can have your hair blowing in the wind for a selfie. With so many gimmicks out there, we thought today’s post should be on some of the most useful accessories on the market. Some are simple, some you won’t expect – enjoy!

Screen protectors

These days, screen protectors are becoming far more sophisticated than simply being scratch-resistant (although that’s still as important as ever). For one thing, a lot of people worry that others can read important bank details or other personal information off their phone when stood next to them in the street.

It sounds like the 3M Privacy Screen Protector is for you; you’ll see everything crystal clear, while those around you will only see a darkened screen. Or how about a glare protector for people with sensitive eyes who find it difficult to read their phone in bright sunlight?

Battery-Powered case

How many times have you been out and about, whether it’s a shopping day or an important business meeting, and your phone dies? It happens all too often, but hopefully not for much longer, as you’ll be able to fall back on the Mophie juice pack air charging case.

It’s thin, lightweight and will take you straight back to 100% battery power at the flip of a switch. You don’t need to worry about any sound issues either; there are forward-facing speaker ports for top audio quality, so you can just treat it like any other case!

The Tile

This is a truly genius invention for the smartphone era; a Tile is a small, card-looking device that can be attached to any object that you want to keep track of. It could be car keys, house keys or your spare pair of glasses! As long as you keep this handy, easy to use tracker with you, you’re all set to go.

Once you’ve attached it, simply download the companion app to see where your Tile is located. It’s water-resistant too in case you were wondering, and the battery lasts for a whole year. There’s even a handy addition to the app where you mark an item with a Tile attached as “Lost”, and other users around the world can help you find it!

At Geeksterlabs, we’re all about bringing you the best information, reviews and advice from the world of tech. With this in mind, it’s worth noting that the best thing you can do to protect your smartphone is to research. Look for the best places for repairs, the best software for security and the most common mishaps with your model.